Tesla to launch Supercharger wait queue after viral disagreement

Tesla has announced it will be launching a Supercharger wait queue after a disagreement went viral.

Drivers have long been requesting the feature, after frequent disputes at charging stations.

The impetus for this change appeared to be a viral video in which a fight broke out over who was due to use the charger next.

This isn’t a situation that happens a lot, but when stations get full, things get chaotic fairly quickly.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

Why has Tesla announced a wait queue for the Supercharger?

At a traditional gas station, cars would form a physical queue to wait for a pump to become available.

Meanwhile, at Tesla Supercharger stations, the space is limited so cars often can’t afford to park directly on the lot.

As such, this opens up the opportunity to people to try and cut the queue.

And anyone who’s ever experienced this knows how frustrating it can be.

So it’s not surprising that the chances of rows and screaming matches can rise in these circumstances.

And with Tesla’s Supercharger deployment slowing in 2024 compared to 2023, this problem was looking to get worse.

Subsequently, Tesla has now announced a new virtual queuing system will be trailed at some sites later this year.

“Virtual queuing pilots starting in Q2 at select sites. The goal is a net customer experience improvement for the ~1% cases of a wait time,” the company said.

“Wider rollout this year if feedback is positive. We also continue to expand the network 20%+ year-over-year, closely tracking site-level demand.”

How Superchargers have changed and developed over the years

Superchargers, like most things in technology, are not a stationary thing that never changes.

They have to be altered to fit the changing needs of their users.

Case in point, a EV charger extension cord has been released which allows non-Tesla drivers to use the Superchargers.

Given that the automaker has the largest network of charging stations in the US, this is particularly handy.

Starting in February 2025, Mercedes-Benz EV cars have been able to access the Tesla charging network through an adapter.

Tesla also rolled out a new system in 2024 which helped vehicles with trailers locate Superchargers with pull-through lanes.

A drive-in diner Supercharger has even been opened, as shown in the above video.

As Bob Dylan once said, the times they are a-changin’.

Who knows what new developments will be rolled out in the coming years, as more and more people make the leap to EVs?